Residents complain of mice in new homes in Austral, southwest Sydney

Homeowners in Austral are complaining of mice falling from their roofs and scurrying into their bedrooms. But one pest controller has revealed a simple way to control the rodents.

Residents in the southwest Sydney suburb of Austral are complaining of mice in and around their homes.

Since the winter season has arrived, Austral resident Jade Bancroft has lost sleep over the scurrying feet of mice running through her house.

The 26-year-old moved into her home on Orion Rd in the newly developed Peach Tree Estate last year and religiously sets mouse traps in her garage.

“When we first had the mice we could hear them running on the carpet and it really freaked me out and I couldn’t sleep,” she said.

“I would get scared they would climb up the bedhead and then go onto the bed … I lost a lot of sleep.”

Toro pest control owner Ed Garcia said the influx of mice was “normal” and often follows the construction of new developments, typically lasting a two-year period before the mice find a new home.

Residents in the southwest Sydney suburb of Austral are complaining of mice in and around their homes.

“In new development areas the land has been untouched for such a long time and the rodents and other animals have lived there and humans have come in and disturbed the grounds,” he said. “They (the mice) are only looking for three things, food, shelter and water.”

Ms Bancroft said she would sometimes catch one mouse per week as they would come through her garage.

A mouse killed at a residence in Austral in Sydney's south west.

“They’re babies, they must be breeding nearby and because it’s cold and they’re trying to find a warm place,” she said.

She said her “hack” of hot glueing dog food to traps helped her catch two mice inside an hour and two more a week later.

“I saw one in our bedroom and it ran underneath the bed and disappeared and I put some traps out and just got a cheap wooden one from Bunnings but they had ate all the peanut butter,” she said.

“The dog food trick is all I can really do because I have two dogs and I don’t want to put out any bait just in case so I don’t really have many options to catch them.”

Owner of TORO Pest Control Ed Garcia.

But she’s not the only resident dealing with unwanted visitors.

“I spoke with my neighbours and they told me their son was in his room and a mouse fell from the ducted aircon vent and ran behind the desk,” she said.

Mr Garcia, 45, said he has visited up to 100 homes in Austral area across the last year when residents started to find mice scratching the roof or in the pantry.

“The first action is to block entry points and to get a professional as we understand how the rodents travel, what their habits are and what we can and can’t do, including using cages or poison,” he said.

He warned residents run the risk of poisoning other wildlife or harming people if they attempt DIY solutions.

“Some poisons can have a secondary effect on other animals or if you don’t secure the position correctly it can put children in harm’s way,” he said.

Mr Garcia’s advice to manage mice is to maintain your property by blocking entry points, including mesh on garage doors or aluminium skirts for doors.

“Block the entry points for the aircon as they are an express highway for the mice so make sure to check your compressor,” he said.